bartholomew



dimitri tsitt Htrni (emi/w Letters Patent No. 90,483, dated .Ma/y 25, 1869.

AUTQMATIC VALVE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making partfof the same.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, F. H. BARTHOLOMEW, ofthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Automatic Device for Regulating and, Directing the Supply of Gases, Vapors, or Fluids to different Altitudes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this speci-l cation, and which represents a vertical section of said device.

Although this, my invention, may be applied to regulating the supply of gas or steam to outlets situated at different levels, under the same or like conditions, and for a similar purpose, or end, it will sulice here to describe the invention, as restricted to supplying water, and, for the purpose of more clearly deiining its action, to illustrate or refer to the same, in connection with the supply of water to upper and lower stories of houses, or dwellings, and other buildings.

The invention consists in an automatic lift-valve, so constructed and operating as that, when a draught is made upon a main, or general inlet, to supply the fluid at a comparatively high level, supply of the iiuid to a lower level is stopped, or cut off.

The following instance of the application of the invention will illustrate its use:

In cities,and other places, where water is conducted by pipes from elevated sources to buildings, it is often found, that -while the lower parts of a building. lnay be well supplied -with water, under a proper force, or

pressure, the upper part of said building is but scant-4 -ily supplied. Especially is this the case when a lower faucet, as in the kitchen of a house, for instance, is open, or any other lower run, or dra-1n established, when, or during which, as a consequence, adiminished supply will reach the upper portion of the house, so that before a proper upper supply can be obtained, the lower drain, or draught is required' to be stopped.

This is a source of much inconvenience and annoyance, and particularly so in buildings which have waterclosets, requiring a full head, or pressure of water, arranged in their upper stories.

The object of the invention, in this connection, is to `furnisha device which will automatically establish a. full supply of Water to the upper part of the house, in preference to and instead of to the lower part thereof, by diverting the flow of water from the lower to the upper-part, whenever a valve, or faucet in any of the upper stories is opened.

Referring to the accompanying drawing- A is a valve-box, or case, and B, the water-imei thereto, which may connect with the street-main.

C is an outlet vfrom said box, or case, leading to the lower part of the house, and D, an outlet therefrom, conducting to the upper portion of the building.

E is a screw-cap to the upper portion of the valvebox, or case, to facilitate insertion, and, when necessary, removal of a lift-regulating valve, F.

This valve is of a hollow sliding-plug form, -open at 4 `its bottom, to give to it a balance character, and having one or more lateral openings, a, in it, but closed at its top, where it is constructed to constitute a puppet-valve, resting upon a bridge, or diaphragm, b, which, when the valve is down, prevents Water passing from above outlet D to the lower outlet C, and establishes flow through the opening, or openings a to the lower outlet C.

The valve-box, or case is also providedwith lower diaphragms, c and d, and the valve F so fitted as that its body has free, or easy play up between,or through the several diaphragins,the two lower of which are so arranged as to prevent water passing to the lower outlet C, excepting through the passage or passages a, in the valve. A,

These-passages, or openings a are at such altitudes, relatively to the outlets C and D, as, that when the valve is raised, as represented by red lines, the loweroutlet C is closed by the body of the valve, while the upper opening .D is open for the low of water from the `inlet B, through the lateral opening, or openings a.

The upper portion of the valve is, or may be provided with a vent, e, to supply with water from `below the space above, b, vacated by the valve in falling.

In the operation of the device, the normal position of the valve E is that in which it is represented by black lines, when water is free to run through the lower outlet O, to supply the lower portion of the building, and escape or supply shut off from or to the upper outlet D, but, on opening a valve, or faucet in the upper portion of the building, then the current established through the upper loutlet D, and consequent relief or pressure from over the valve, or superior pressure of the water underneath it, causes said valve to be thrown, or slid up to the position shown for it by red lines, which shuts off the supply of water to the lower outlet O, and establishes it to the upper outlet D; nor is this action neutralized, even though a lower faucet be open at the time of opening the upper one Is this way a supply of water is always secured for the upper portion of the building, at the expense, or shutting o of the supply to the lower part thereof, by simply `establishing a draught above, through the opening of a valve, or faucet, in connection 4with the outlet D.

Upon closing such upper valve,vor faucet, however, the valve F drops and resumes its normal position, when the supply of water is rte-established with or to the lower outlet O.

2 v What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by is automatieally cut oi from the lower'outlet G, sub- Lettxers Patent, isstantially aus-specified.

The lift-Valve F, constructed to operate in connec- F. H. BARTHOLOMEW. tion with an inlet, B, and outlets, C and D, to the valve-box A, substantially as herein described, where- Witnesses: l by, on a valve or faucet being opened to establish a J. W. COOMBS,

drain through the upper outlet D, supply ofthe iiuid FRED. HAYNES. 

